London South Bank University (LSBU), University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH), and the Florence Nightingale Foundation (FNF) are delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Lesley Baillie to the Florence Nightingale Foundation Chair in Clinical Nursing Practice.

Professor Baillie is due to commence in post in October 2012. This post, primarily focusing on improving integrated care of patients, will provide the opportunity to demonstrate academic leadership at the clinical interface and will contribute to the translation of research directly into clinical care.

The post will enable Professor Baillie to build upon her previous and current research portfolio which not only includes work around integration but internationally-recognised research activity related to patient dignity. Professor Baillie, who has a background in acute nursing, says integrated care and patient dignity are two areas ripe for research to improve patient care.

"I will be working with all three organisations to support and enable nurses to develop their practice. It is important that nurses who are so closely involved with patients for so much of the time should be involved in research to help improve the care patients receive."

Professor Judith Ellis, Executive Dean Faculty of Health and Social Care at LSBU, who funded the post, said she was "delighted that Professor Lesley Baillie has accepted this position which will lead the way in developing senior clinical, academic and professional partnerships that will impact on the quality of patient care".

Elizabeth Robb, FNF Chief Executive, said: "The Florence Nightingale Foundation is delighted to welcome the first appointment of what is envisaged to be a network of Chairs in Clinical Practice Research. These posts have the real potential to translate research into sustainable clinical practice improvements to the benefit of patient care."